T4 ride to Mentone, Mountain Cove and Little River 10-5-13

[jdubeemer]

It was a beautiful day to ride, temps were perfect and we all had fun. Paul and Gail made it all the way over for lunch at the Wildflower Cafe. Here are some pics from Suz.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201383965333747.1073741825.1012587709&type=1&l=ea0aeecd26

[Gator]

Looks like y'all had a great ride and as always Suzi's pictures are the best.

Gator

[Vance]

+1 !!!

[jdubeemer]

Manor House Restaurant at Mountain Cove Farm Resort.

While on the ride we got word that the Restaurant had opened so Suzi invited one of her elderly lady friends to ride up there and check it out. They are open for lunch and dinner and have an extensive menu that includes appetizers, salads, a large variety of sandwiches and a variety of dinner entrees all with moderate prices. The following is a short tale about their visit.

from suz...this is more a reflection on the company I was with...just to help her keep a sense of humor. No offense intended toward the Manor.

Now Open!

It had been well over a year that Jim and I had been making trips into a valley where a family homestead had been turned over to the state of Georgia. On every occasion, we had been assured by local workers that there were big plans to convert the home into a first class restaurant. Opening day finally came and went without us, but about a month later a girlfriend and I decided to go check it out. I figured by now the menu would be perfected and all things running smoothly.

We wound our way down through the canopy of trees and hairpin turns, emerging into an open valley flooded with sunshine, white fluffy clouds and vibrant blue skies. It wasn’t quite noon when we drove into the parking lot where only a couple of spaces remained open…always a good sign. The walkway into the restaurant was lined with fall decorations, hay, small scarecrows, pumpkins and the like. Inside the converted garage and former servant’s quarters was a sun-drenched room of tables and chairs arranged on flagstone floors with walls of stone and banks of windows where garage doors had once hung. We made our way to a table next to one of the huge windows, where a very nice young lady gave us menus and took our drink orders. Since it had taken us several hours to reach this destination, our primary concern at this point was focused on finding a place to dispose of some coffee that had been consumed much earlier in the day. We wandered into an adjacent room and found the one and only lavatory, which was secured behind a locked door. I thought about the new pavilion down the hill and considered the trouble my friend would have had traversing the grassy meadow. She was left behind, hovering outside the locked door while I picked my way through the grassy field.

Finally settled back at our table, we couldn’t help but notice the cacophony of voices, sliding chairs and tinkling glassware bouncing round and round amid the stone and glass. My friend has enough trouble hearing, without the added background noise, so we took our drinks in hand and headed toward the second dining room which sat mostly empty. By this time I was feeling like Goldilocks, this table is too loud, this table is too cold, only thing is, we never found the one that was just right. We settled at a table and asked if they could turn the fan off, as the room was already cold as the stone walls. Our order was taken and we finally had a chance to carry on a conversation…for about two minutes. That was when a group of about 10 well dressed women came in and began shoving tables and chairs together with deafening screeches across the stone floors. In the midst of all the turmoil I just had to laugh as I remembered a passage in a book by Baxter Black. He had been describing a woman and her overuse of perfume; “It was so strong, it would have driven a pack of hyenas off a bucket of baboon hearts.” Had there been a pack of hyenas and a bucket of baboon hearts in that room, it definitely would have been cleared the moment these women walked in. Considering the allergies that plague both my friend and I, we hurriedly asked for our orders to be packed to go, while my friend began her trek to the pavilion.

At last, good company, great food, peace, quiet and fresh air, can it get any better than this? Well, we were hoping it would after the huge backhoe turned into the driveway adjacent to our peaceful pavilion and began spewing diesel fumes as it chugged up the hill. There was nothing left to do but sit there, revisiting our string of untold agonies, and laugh hysterically. When the stink finally cleared, we finished our lunch and headed for a ride through the pristine valley roads. It was indeed a beautiful day amidst magnificent scenery and a place we will continue to frequently visit. However, I just think that from now on that will be one destination where I will be packing for picnics.

[Vance]

So this is the new restaurant at Mountain Cove in the big house? Is the store still open? It was a few months ago when I rode by there. The big house might be a good place to eat a "sit down" dinner sometime but it doesn't much sound like a "biker" bar...lol...

I still think that valley is one of the prettiest places I know of!

[jdubeemer]

Yes the restaurant is in the big house. The store is open and the new pavilion with restrooms is right next to it. They are also installing RV parking pads with water and electric. It will probably be quite busy when the leaves turn.

[Vance]

I hope I can get up that way soon...what a nice ride!

[jeanne z]

Suz,
Your fabulous photography may have met its match with your eloquent prose

[jdubeemer]

Jeanne,
I'm humbled and speechless, thank you.